I'll Be There For You
by katiekayx
Summary: OneShot, Leeham. Lincoln visits Liv in the hospital after Frank leaves. Takes place after "Immortality". Spoilers through 3x13. Rated for language. Please review if you read!


**A/N: **_Trying to get my creativity flowing so I can knock out at least half of my research paper before I go to bed. I'm really tired, so I apologize in advance if there are any grammatical/spelling errors in this. This is a one shot, it just came to me out of nowhere. Only spoilers up to "Immortality". Please review if you read!_

**Disclaimer:**_I don't own Fringe, or any of the characters. Also, the lyrics at the end are from "Whatever It Takes" by Michael Buble._

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><p>He couldn't breathe. He was running, sprinting up flights of stairs, and the only coherent thought in his mind was her. Olivia. She had to be okay, she had to be. He didn't know what had happened in the ambulance with Frank, and to be quite honest, he was a bit insulted that he was kicked out of the ambulance so fast in the first place.<p>

Not only was he left there to wonder what the hell was going on with Olivia, and if she was alright, but he also was bitter because she was there with _Frank_. The guy spent weeks away from her at a time, and then the only reason he was there was because there was a case. He didn't come back for her, he came back to work a case. It was ridiculous, but Lincoln was nearing Olivia's room now, so he forced his thoughts to once again return to her wellbeing. That's what mattered the most.

He poked his head in, and his heart clenched painfully when he saw her curled in a ball, on her side in the hospital bed. "… Liv?" He asked softly, and noticed that she flinched a little bit. She didn't say anything, but he walked in anyway and approached her slowly. "Liv, where's Frank?"

"Gone." She whispered, and he frowned.

"What do you mean, gone?" He felt his fists clench at his sides of their own accord, trying to keep a cool composure in front of her.

"He left, he went back to the apartment so he could get his stuff out." Her voice was small, so small. He had never heard her like this before.

"He left _you_?" He asked incredulously. "I don't understand."

"I'm pregnant, Lincoln." She said bluntly, her eyes cold as steel as she looked at him. "The baby isn't his."

He was going to pass out. He was going to pass out, or throw something, or jump out of the nearest window. Liv was pregnant. _His_ Liv had cheated on her boyfriend and was pregnant. With a baby. He sat down on the nearest chair heavily before looking at her. "I… you're… a baby." He said stupidly, and she nodded, her eyes starting to well up with tears.

"I don't want your pity, if that's what you're doing." She said, and he stiffened. He knew this side of her. She got defensive easily and tried to push everyone away so that she could deal with her problems herself. But knowing her as well as he did meant that he knew that she needed someone. And he wanted it to be him.

"I'm allowed to be sympathetic, Liv." He said calmly.

"Sympathetic? No, no you're not. I cheated on my boyfriend. You should probably go find Frank and give him your sympathy."

"Will you stop it?" Lincoln asked, meeting her eyes, "stop. I don't really give a shit about Frank right now, Liv, because not only did he leave you alone in the hospital, but even though you made a mistake, he left you to deal with this by yourself. That is not okay."

Olivia didn't look down from his gaze straight away, and if he were honest, it was a bit unsettling. He didn't know why she was analyzing him so much. She had no reason to doubt his intentions and he hoped that she couldn't see right through him. Truth was, it was killing him that this was happening. Not only was he worried about her and her future, but he'd said it before. He always thought that if she were going to cheat on Frank with anyone…. No. He wouldn't let himself think that.

"I'm going to be fine. I just don't know… I don't know what this is going to mean for me in terms of work."

"Don't even think about it right now, Liv, honestly." Lincoln said quickly, and before she could protest, he added, "And that's an order."

Olivia looked at him, really looked at him. And the person she saw was someone she didn't see often. Not just her boss and her colleague, but her best friend. He was, and though she had never told him that in so many words, she thought they had a mutual understanding. Maybe it was just the hormones kicking in, but she felt like she could cry all over again seeing him here, in the hospital, caring about her.

"Liv…" He asked gently, seeing the tears well up in her eyes. He was so confused, but he had to put that behind him. If she wanted him to know all the details about this, she would tell him. But for now, he just needed to be there for her.

He got out of the chair and walked over to her, and without saying a word, sat at the edge of her hospital bed and pulled her into his arms. He was expecting her to pull away or protest a bit, but it was almost as if he was giving her the outlet she so badly needed.

She melted into his embrace and started to cry heavily now, her breath coming out in gasps and the tears flowing from her green eyes freely. She fisted his shirt in one hand as he ran a soothing hand over her back again and again. He tried to console her, tried to whisper comforting words, but he found that his own voice was rough. It was like all the pain she was letting go, he was absorbing for her, and honestly, he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

She fell asleep eventually, and he didn't know how long he sat there, his legs having gone numb ages ago, rocking her back and forth and running his fingers through her hair. He looked down at her, and had a sudden urge to tell her, even though she was asleep. The words he wanted to say were right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't. He froze when she woke up, her eyes finding him immediately.

"Linc?" She asked softly, her voice quiet from sleep, and he was a goner. He couldn't stop himself.

"I'm right here." He said, his voice coming out raspy and warm, "I'm not going anywhere." He promised.

She found his hand from where it was resting on her shoulder and linked their fingers together. "I'm scared to do this by myself."

"You're not alone. I swear it, Liv, you're not going to go through this alone." He wanted to kiss her. The urge to do so was always in the back of his mind, but he refused to let it take over. It was just the heat of the moment, he told himself. Don't do this, don't ruin something that you need in your life.

She was feeling a lot of things. She didn't know what, but something was changing, something about the way he was holding her was different to him just being protective of her like he usually was. She wanted to find out.

Their faces were getting closer, she could feel the heat coming off of him and he was panicking. He wanted this, he really, really did. But did he want it now? Like this? Was she sure? So many questions were running through his mind. He decided to ignore his brain for once and leaned in the rest of the way, his lips meeting hers with a spark that neither of them were expecting.

He was on fire. His nerve endings were tingling and she sighed into his mouth and there was nothing but her, and her soft curves and her warmth. She made a little noise and he pulled away from her quickly. "Did I hurt you?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"No… I… that wasn't me being in pain." She said, and blushed.

"You're cute when you blush." He blurted, and then it was his turn to turn red.

"What are we doing?" She asked and he looked down.

"Being risky." He said honestly. "I'm afraid to tell you what I'm thinking."

"Because you think I'll kick your ass?" She grinned, the first real smile he'd seen from her all day and he couldn't help but smile back at her.

"No… because I don't… look. I am going to be there for you. And whatever you decide to do. And this baby? Well… I hope you know that he's going to be the most spoiled kid that there is."

"Lincoln?"

"Yeah?"

She looked at him, her eyes warm and deep, "Thank you."

"I told you, Liv. I'll take care of you, I'll be there for you. Whatever it takes."

_Whatever it takes, my love, I'll find it,  
><em>_Whatever it takes, my love.  
><em>_To put the lonely days behind us, I'm laying it down  
><em>_Whatever it takes my love._


End file.
